Tim DeChristopher on the Late Show with David Letterman

TIM DECHRISTOPHER: He's an environmental activist and the subject of a new documentary, "Bidder 70." Tim became concerned about the global warming and climate change and decided to do something about it, but wasn't sure what he should do. In 2008, Tim went to protest a controversial auction of Utah public lands. The Bureau of Land Management had decided to auction off 149,000 acres of public land, much of which was adjacent to national parks. The land up for auction would likely go to developers who wanted what was underneath; oil and gas. The land would be destroyed and the parks ruined. Tim attended the auction but was still not sure what he was going to do. He wanted to disrupt the proceedings but didn't know how. He arrived at the auction and was asked, "Are you here to bid?" Tim decided, "Yeah, I am." Still not sure what his approach would be, Tim sat and waited. And then he found himself bidding on the land. He won 14 parcels in a row, covering over 22,000 acres, for $1.7 million. After a while, they stopped the auction and questioned him. Tim's actions voided the auction and held the sale up enough that the federal court ruled that the Bureau of Land Management violated protection laws. Tim was indicted on two federal felonies for fraud and sentenced to two years in prison. How did Tim fare in prison? He says it wasn't that bad. Now that incarceration is big business, a lot of normal people are ending up on the inside. Dave's view on climate change is that it is too late to do anything. Change is too late. We are now in "adaptability mode." Tim agrees, saying we are on the verge of intense change of the world's climate and how we live. "Bidder 70" - it refers to his paddle number at the land auction. It's now in theaters and available on DVD July 16th.

Bidder 70 was produced by Beth & George Gage, and has won 20 major film festival awards.